‘So what card did you get?’ Holly asked,
‘Card? I didn’t open it,’ Hermione admitted, Holly paused grabbing a card out of her jean pants. Holding up the card she got,
‘I figured you would love em, they have historical witches and wizards with little bits of who they were and what they did.’ Holly handed her the card with the image of Sally reappearing in his spot.
‘Nice,’ Hermione commented as Holly opened the door, to see if the coast was clear.
‘Come on Ron’s going to town on those sweets and I didn’t get to try those beans,’ Holly whipped her head around before striding back to her compartment.
The rest of the ride went amicably, whatever bug that was bothering Hermione seemed to have subsided but Ron seemed a bit less chatty with Hermione around. The subject of family got brought up and before long the mention of an attempted break in a Gringotts, Which leads into Neville talking about his parents both being Aurors. Hermione brought up being Muggle-born and neither boy seemed to care which Holly appreciated. Everything else went well, they ran into Hector who’s impressive size left Ron gaping a bit, a nice boat ride in the view of Hogwarts light up at night. They found themselves before Professor McGonigal who explained the houses,
‘So it’s true, Holly Potter has come to Hogwarts,’ the blonde boy announced eyeing her. Holly wasn’t really sure how to respond as the blonde boy approached her. ‘This is Crabbe and Goyle,’ he pointed two rather thick set and mean looking. ‘Malfoy, Draco Malfoy,’ he introduced. Ron gave a slight cough as Holly noticed the slight snigger.
‘Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all Weasley’s have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford,’ he turned back to Holly who could only blink at the attack on a boy he barely knew.
‘Ouch,’ Holly commented, ‘Look her Mr. Malfoy,’ she stood up to her full height as Malfoy back of as the other two boys didn’t know how to handle the situation. ‘I don’t take kindly to people picking on my friend, you want to be my friend, you don’t mess with ‘em we clear? Cause I didn’t take it before I went to Hogwarts and I am not starting now,’ she gave Malfoy a hard look who sniffed glaring back at her.
‘I would be careful, you should be politer else you are going to go the same way as your mother,’ He sniffed, as Holly saw red, and Malfoy wasn’t allowed to finish as she decked him in the eye dropping him.
‘Take your own advice,’ Holly said over the shock of the crowd.
‘Tackle em, pull his ears and twist his noisy,’ Cried a joyful voice as Crabbe and Goyle helped Draco onto his feet. She spun around to see a ghost, he didn’t look like a human.
‘Peeves,’ cried a voice as a rather bloodstained ghost as the squat floating creature raced away in panic as a rather plump looking monk floated in. The Monk went on all about his house but Holly was watching Malfoy who seemed to know had a healthy fear of her, as he started to see the beginnings of a black eye.
‘Move along,’ said a stern voice as McGonigal had returned, ‘The sorting ceremony is going to begin. Now form a line and follow me, Malfoy what happened to your eye?’ she paused looking at the boy, but he refused to answer.
Holly rolled her eyes but her thoughts were brought back to the school as they walked in seeing all the candles floating above as well as stars, with the architecture, seemed to blend the edges into the sky outside.
‘It’s enchanted to look like the sky outside,’ Hermione whispered to her. ‘Read about it in a Hogwarts a history.’ Holly glanced up wondering how it handled rain or less impressive weather. Her attention was brought to the sorting hat a rough looking at that sat on a stool, Holly glanced at the different tables, spotting a few red heads which she figured were Ron’s brothers. She wasn’t to surprise when Hermione went to Gryffindor, and Malfoy went to Slytherin he seemed to be less proud as he seemed to have his eye her but Holly frowned glancing away from him. Names were listed of as everyone cheered properly for their house.
‘Holly, Potter,’ Her name was listed off, as she headed forward with long purposeful strides sitting down as the hat was dropped over her eyes.
‘Difficult, Very Difficult, Plenty of courage, not a bad brain, loyal very proud of that fact,’ whispered the hat, ‘Talent and a thirst to prove yourself a deep ‘So where to put you,’
‘Not Slytherin,’ She thought calmly,
‘Not Slytherin, you could be great in Slytherin, it would help you on your way to greatness,’ The hat seemed to tempt her but she rolled her eyes. ‘Okay better be Gryffindor!’ he announced the last word out loud as the house she would be part of as they celebrated, ‘We got Potter!’ reached her ears, as she allowed herself a soft smile, before sitting down next to Hermione, Ron soon followed and with Neville already there at well it seemed she was recreating her Father’s circle of friends with the addition on of one more in Neville. The Irony wasn’t lost on her as Lupin in Hermione and the similarities with Ron and Sirius while not as great there were a few similarities, she decided to expand her friend circle. That realization the made her think, while everyone watched the ceremony wrapped up she caught something as she spun realizing the Headmaster was speaking.
‘…Tweak!’ he announced as Holly wondered about the bearded man her father spoke highly of the man. Suddenly appeared on the empty plates in front of her and soon she realized Hermione was talking with the house ghost Sir Nicholas when someone asked how someone could be nearly headless. She ate her fill as she glanced over at the teachers, glancing over at another red head with a P. ‘Excuse me, but can you point out Professor Snape?’ she asked,
‘Yeah, that one,’ he pointed at a rather sour looking man around her dad’s age with black greasy hair and a crooked nose.
‘Thank you, um,’ she paused,
‘Ah Percy Weasley I see you already know my youngest brother,’ he gestured at Ron who was helping himself to the meal. ‘Rumor has it you decked Malfoy, don’t go doing that or else we will lose house points,’ He chided as Holly grinned nervously,
‘I only promise to do my best not to get caught, besides my uncle always called the house cup the suck-up-cup,’
‘Sounds like our kind of bloke,’ one of the twins said as Percy sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. Thankfully Hermione started talking about classes with Percy as she seemed to have found a kindred spirit in the older Weasley brother. She glanced back over at Professor Snape when she noticed another teacher with a turban on his head who seemed very jittery. She felt her prickle in her scar not sure what cause of it was, she gave it a slight rub and went back to his meal to fill her belly as much as her head.
After the meal, everything was wrapped up with a few announcements and a rather shocking warning about the third-floor corridor. She found her room, she shared one with Hermione, Parvati, and Lavander Brown. She got everything situated and using a book and a little light on her bed she started to write to her dad about her first day at Hogwarts as well as her sorting, and she left out her concerns worried she might be too much like her dad. she finished it up she needed to find the Owlry and Hedwig to send it out tomorrow after classes.
David watched the train chug down the tracks as Sirius clapped him on the back. ‘We did all we could,’ David nodded as he lingered a bit.
David glanced around Frank and a few other first timers seemed to linger as David glanced around and spotted a news paper. He handed over the cash and folded the paper under his arm. ‘I’ll see you back at the house, thinking of going through the classifieds,’ he jestured.
He got mixed reactions, Sirius who inherited the black family fortune was now set thought getting a job was pointless were Lupin approved of the idea. He appeared near the bike and then was back home with the bike in the garage.
He sat down with a nice cup of tea when he froze he recognized the vault apparently what he had picked up was worth risking the traps of the bank. He sipped his Tea as he set the paper down, he frowned his mind already jumping
to conclusions but he was never informed what it was he picked up. Deciding it would be best to at least let his old leader know he was ready to help he wrote up a letter to Sally to let him know he was willing to help. He sent the letter of with Garius as he thought back to Frank maybe he could go into Law enforcement.
The three sat down in the basement and old bottle of fire whiskey between them as David downed his drink.
‘So now what?’ Sirius asked, David shock his head as he grabbed the paper tossing it on the small table.
‘I don’t think we are done,’ David admitted, I am planning on at least starting up in the amateur dueling league, maybe going into the Aururs,’ David declared saying it made it sound more certain.
‘Dueling,’ Sirius advised,
‘Law enforcement,’ Remus countered as David laughed, ‘lot of help you are,’ David chuckled,
‘Well who ever was behind this had some dark magic,’ Remus frowned looking at the paper, ‘It wouldn’t be easy if we look into this on our own, and none of us have any of the skills or training,’ he reminded
‘Yeah but they won’t take anyone, only me and David would be legally allowed not that they wouldn’t give David a free pass thanks to some thinking he bested Voldemort.’ Sirius pointed out.
‘I guess if you want us to work together Dueling would help, but it would limit our ability to do more than duel,’ Remus pointed out.
‘That’s going under the idea that the ministry will train David it would look bad if anything happened to David when they could just show him off,’ Sirius considered. ‘If we even make it past the basics tests, it’s not like in the order when we were at our peak.’
‘You raise a good point, but, David, David?’ He reappeared as David focused on what Sirius brought up the order.
‘How about we call on a retired order member to round or skills up and she what we do from that?’ David asked as both friends smiled at the implication.
Their scheming was cut short when there came a tapping on the window, as David patted his wand holstered on his belt as he headed up but smiled at the sight of a familiar white owl pecking at the window. He opened it up as she gave him a playful peck as she settled on his arm. Getting her some water and a meal he un wrapped the note and allowed his old house pride to bubble up ‘Yes!’ He fist pumped spotting her placement in Gryfondor. He glanced over the note as a wave of Nestogia hit him, he mused the similarities between him and his daughter. Walking back down he wrote down a note nothing really relevant to his worries or future plans also a bit of praise for standing up for her new friends and just warning her of the trouble that could bring.
Break
Holly frowned as she entered the potions class. Malfoy was still giving the stink eye, but she wasn’t going to act on anything, not with his head of house and his reputation. She walked in the gloomy place was filled with all kinds of jars holding pickled animal parts. The cold temperature was a bit uncomfortable as she sat down next to Hermione, Ron and Neville paired up as the black eyed professor started roll call. ‘Holly Potter our newest celebrity,’ he said eyeing Her coldly. Holly didn’t respond but Malfoy seemed to find it amusing. Taking notes she couldn’t help but question her dad’s advice since everything the professor did seemed to screamed Loathing towards her than if the start wasn’t enough.
‘Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?’ He asked as Hermione shot her hand up, as Holly gave her friend a slide long glance. She closed her eyes trying to recall.
‘I think that’s a potion that cures snake bites,’ she thought back,
‘Hardly,it seems fame isn’t everything, tell me were would you look if I told you to find a bezoar?’ He asked
‘Stomach of a goat it’s great for remedying mostingested poisons,’ she answered.
‘Correct,’ he muttered through clenched teeth. Hermione put her hand down frowning in confusion. ‘Well why aren’t you all writing this down?’ He snapped and just like in transfiguration pen went to parchment.
The potion class went roughly the potion to cure boils while nothing to complicated seemed to be hard with the way Snape seemed to berate students when Holly interrupted the flow.
‘Neville stop!’ She shouted as he almost put his quills in early, every one froze as the professor spun around.
‘A point from Gryfondor for interrupting,’ he spun as Holly blinked before rolling her eyes, she talked Neville through his potion but The potions professor seemed to avoid her table for the rest of double potions.
Thanks to dad’s foresight he had drawn up a map with an insane number of shortcuts she had her own entourage of first years since nearly everyone in her house would have been just as lost. She noticed a few professors watch them but since everyone made it to class on time nobody spoke up.
Then the real day cam up and even splitting it with the snakes was a bummer,
‘Trouble is I can’t remember what I forgot,’
‘You forgot your robe,’ Holly pointed out as he glanced down and going a little red he raced of to rectify it.
They headed out with Madam Hooch a short grey I got witch with yellow eyes.
‘Up,’ Holly said as the broom, which had seen better days snapped into her hand. The lesson was solid a few laughs at Malfoy who despite his bragging need a few corrections. Holly despite her self was happy to see her friend was struggling she was worried her friend was perfect at everything. Holly crushed that feeling as soon as it popped up but of course something had to happen.
‘Neville!’ Hooch shouted as the poor boy went up way to high, Hermione and Holly glanced at each other a look of shared hopelessness.
‘Ah!’ He cried out before he dropped as Holly winced at the sound of a broken wrist. The instructor gave a threat as rushed him off to Pomfrey.
‘Wow, maybe if he gave this a squeeze he would have remembered to fall on his fat ass,’ he laughed and the ever cunning house of Slytherin laughed along with him.
‘Wow, a fat joke, how original,’ Holly sighed, ‘unless you plan on giving it back to him how about you hand it over?’ Holly held out her hand knowing full well that it was unlikely that would.
‘Wow sticking up for Longbottom, got a thing for fat babies?’ Malificent shot at her as Holly glanced at her.
‘Obviously not, else she would get along with malfoy who seemed to running away,’ shot back Parvati as Malfoy proved he was able to fly even if not as good as he bragged.
‘Holly,’ Hermione warned knowing full well Holly wasn’t going to stand down.
‘Come on its me,’ Holly winked as she shot up after him surpriseing the blonde as she turned towards him. ‘Second warning hand it over or your getting knocked off your broom,’ she threatened.
‘Catch!’
He shouted throwing the ball, before racing off towards the ground.
Holly bolted after it diving down after it dropping a good forty feet catching it before rising back giving just enough deseleration to land with the rememball no worse for wear.
‘Holly Potter!’ Came a shout as she sighed slumping her shoulders as Malfoy seemed to celebrate the situation, ‘come with me,’ she ordered as she complied wondering if she broke a school record for getting detention in the first week or so of school.
The longer the walk the more confused as they stopped outside the Defense class room she paused as her head of house entered and was soon introduced to the captain of the Gryphondor Quiditch team Oliver Wood.
Since Holly already had a very enthusiastic conversation on the wizard sport from her dad and Sirius the majority of their time was spend practicing while Holly got more and more creative when it came to catching and Oliver got more excited witch only encouraged her.
‘We got this in the bag,’ he said as they walked in way to dark fore them to continue practicing with the golf balls, ‘You have got to be better than Charlie and he could have played for England, do you think your dad will be able to get you a good broom?�
�� He asked concerned.
‘Oh I don’t think it will be an issue if my dad doesn’t my uncle will. They both played when they went here, oh!’ She held up the remeball that she caught, I need to return this,’ she admitted.
‘Don’t stay up to late also keep it secret and don’t forget practice,’ he warned.
‘Yes, sir,’ she gave a cocky salute as he brightened she swore he was skipping as she headed off to go to the hospital wing considering it would be the best place to start.
Holly fumed he was released nearly an hour after he got in as she glanced around. It was past nine and the last thing she wanted to do was run into Filtch after such an amazing day.
‘Meow,’ Miss Noris cried as Holly booked it taking the closest shortcut she could she made as many cuts putting as much distance as she could.
‘Oh, a little firstie out of bed,’ Holly’s blood went cold as she realized she ran into peeves.
‘Please don’t,’ Holly practically whispered,
‘I really should, for your own good it is,’ he smiled, Holly thought there had to be a way out of this.
‘To true it would be wouldn’t it, I guess you should be an outstanding member of the Hogwarts family and turn me in to Filch and his quest to bring order to the school,’ Holly played as she glanced up at the ceiling.
‘I should?’ Peeves eyed Holly weighing her words he did not seem to know how to handle the girl in front of him. Holly waited before she moved, bad move.
‘Firs tie out of bed!’ He shouted as Holly rushed only to find a locked door, wand out she unlocked it and slipped in with an ear to the door.
Listening, she over heard the the now gasping caretaker ‘where is the little rule breaker,’ Filtch wheezed, ‘tell me!’ He demanded
‘Shan’t say nothing unless you say please,’ the poltergeist teased.
‘Fine, please,’ Filtch said through gritted teeth.
‘Nothing!’ He laughed as he raced of the two shouting as they left as Holly wondered how anyone could sleep with all the screaming.
She whispered Page 7